ALT-4 Long Distance Maid of Honor
The day has come when you want to walk down the aisle and say "Yes", though one of the most important people is missing. Your best friend left town many years ago, although you always said that you wanted her to be your maid of honor, and want to keep that promise you made. This article is written to help brides who have chosen a Maid of Honor who lives a distance away, so that she can be part of the wedding arrangements, and also allowance can be made for the distance between her and the main organizers of the wedding. There is no reason why, with the right amount of planning, this problem has to be unsurmountable.
- Splitting duties.
- Arranging Maid of Honor outfit.
- Arranging of flowers.
- Bachelorette Party
- Bridal Shower
- Accommodation and expenses.
- Rehearsal
- Wedding day.
Splitting duties.
Often when a Maid of Honor lives miles away, it is not practical for her to perform all her duties from a distance. Be careful to respect her wishes though it may be an idea to approach her and ask how she feels about sharing ideas with another of the older bridesmaids, liaising with her by email to try and keep the smooth running of the different aspects of the wedding arrangements. She will be thrilled at the prospect of helping and will be anxious that her distance away from the main venue may mean that her local knowledge is not as good as someone else who is nearer to your home. If an older bridesmaid is not available, how about getting the best man or bride's mother involved with helping her to make arrangements?
Arranging Maid of Honor outfit.
Of course, you have set ideas about what bridesmaids and maid of honor will wear. These days, it is extremely easy to liaise using sites which specialize in wedding attire. Make sure that she is put in touch with the outfitter, and show her the choices you have made by linking the website in your emails to her. Keeping in touch at a distance is not that hard, and by putting her in touch with the outfitter, a lot of time can be saved.
If there is a rehearsal near to the wedding day, the Maid of Honor will be able to do her final fitting when she comes for the rehearsal, meaning that all the loose ends are sorted out in one visit, rather than many expensive visits. This also gives the bride an ideal chance to get together with her maid of honor and try her dress with her friend.
Arrangement of flowers.
The flowers for bridesmaids will be arranged by the family in a case like this, and all the Maid of Honor has to worry about is being there to hold them.
Bachelorette Party.
Much of the arrangements for this can be worked on between the Maid of Honor and chosen representative in your home town. If someone else is standing in locally for the Maid of Honor, let them know that you wish her to be consulted at all stages, making sure that she is able to discuss arrangements and give her input, as otherwise she may feel left out.
Bridal shower.
The bridal shower is one area which is traditionally a job of the Maid of Honor. It is an honor for her to be able to arrange this and an important part of the wedding arrangements. What can happen here is that she can liaise with someone appointed in the arrangement of the location for the Bridal shower, although should be left to sort out the theme having consulted the bride on her wishes. None of this is difficult to do at a distance and can be arranged by telephone or email.
Even arranging for locals to set up the shower in the manner she decides isn't that difficult, and if this can be arranged for the same week as the rehearsal wedding and dinner, all the easier for everyone as she will already be there to be able to take over the last minute arrangements.
Accommodation and expenses.
If there is not a financial problem then things run very smoothly. If your potential Maid of Honor cannot afford the travel, trying to ease this by helping them out would be the best solution. You could also arrange family accommodation during their stay for both the rehearsal and the wedding itself, as they are an integral part of the wedding group.
Rehearsal.
Being there for the rehearsal is vital, as this gives the Maid of Honor, as well as everyone else the chance to know where problem areas may lie and to address them before the actual event. This also gives an ideal opportunity to talk to the Maid of Honor about what function you need her to deal with on the day. You are the best of friends, and this helps the bride and Maid of Honor to feel relaxed with each other, and get together to talk about wedding make-up, preparation, the manner in which the Maid of Honor will help to organize the bridesmaids, and give both of you confidence that you have covered all aspects of the wedding planning.
Wedding day.
Having covered everything in advance, the day should go smoothly. Familiarizing the Maid of Honor with the wedding dress and the lay of the train of the dress is a good idea during the dressing-up stages. The Maid of Honor is there to give you confidence and to help wherever you need it. She is a friend who has traveled a long way to be with you on the most important day of your life. Make sure she arrives a couple of days beforehand, so she is relaxed and not too fatigued.
The speeches at the reception are something even a long distance Maid of Honor can arrange at home, and it is this speech which will perhaps tell the story of your friendship, and her happiness at being able to share the day with someone she loves, even though distance made it mean planning. Her part in the wedding is a vital one and one which strengthens friendship, and bonds between friends.
Distance should never be an object when you know in your heart that the friend that you want with you on your wedding day may have to go through hoops to get there. Having covered every aspect of what she will be doing by email and at the rehearsal, the wedding day should run smoothly, and when you go off for your honeymoon, she will be traveling too, with sweet memories of a friendship that mattered enough to ask her in the first place.
